Mythology: Roman or Greek? Would you believe that Romans adopted the Greek pantheon and renamed the deities instead of replacing them? When the Romans encountered a similar god from another culture, they blended their gods' characteristics with those gods. Before the Romans had conquered the Greeks, the Romans had their gods, rituals, and being polytheistic, which meant they worshiped many gods. With this, they had hoped these deities could influence their lives. It was Greek mythology that influenced Roman ideas about the gods. So, the better question is, what is the real difference between Roman and Greek mythology minus the names and the few myths and minor gods? However, despite the similarities between Roman and Greek mythology, such as gods, origins, and beliefs, it seems the mortals favored the Greeks more. In Greek mythology, the twelve major deities that ruled the pantheon atop Mount Olympus are as follows: Zeus (god of the sky), Hera (goddess of marriage), Poseidon (god of water), Demeter (goddess of the harvest), Athena (goddess of wisdom), Apollo (god of music and healing), Artemis (goddess of hunting & protector of women in childbirth), Ares (god of war), Hephaestus (god of fire), Aphrodite (goddess of love), Hermes (god of messages), and the last one was Dionysus (god of wine). Zeus married his sister, Hera, making her queen of Olympus. In her jealousy and heartache over the lovers he had seduced, she wanted revenge so she cursed his illegitimate children and his lovers. Poseidon, won the sea between his brothers, leaving Hades to be the ruler of the underworld while Zeus took over the sky. Because of this, Hades left to the underworld with rage and hated his brothers for it. Aphrodite, the daughter of Zeus, married Hephaestus but her true love was with Ares, the son of Zeus, who she had a long- lasting affair with. Athena, the daughter of Zeus, supposedly sprang from his forehead as